Page 85 of Override

"I had a theory."

"And?"

"I was right." I lean against the back of the chair because suddenly standing feels like too much effort.

"The first two clinics gave me nothing." I scrub a hand across the back of my neck. "The third receptionist couldn't tell me who Maeve was."

"But..."

"But she wanted to." A tired laugh escapes me. "She was good."

"Good enough to protect her patient."

"Good enough to accidentally tell me she'd seen the same woman twice." Callum waits. I know he's trying not to interrupt. "She gave me dates."

His eyes flick to the laptop. "That was enough?"

"It was for me."

I turn the screen toward him. The first chart fills the display. Then the second. Then another.

Callum doesn't say anything as he scrolls.

The office goes painfully quiet. Outside, a little girl squeals before dissolving into laughter. The sound feels wrong in here.

Callum stops scrolling. His jaw flexes once. "...How many?"

"Seven that I found."

"So far?"

I nod. "So far."

He leans back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his mouth. "Jesus."

"Every record's under a different county." I tap one of the files. "Same birthday." Another. "Same face." Another. "Same woman."

His eyes move back to me. "She scattered them. So no one physician ever saw the pattern."

I nod once. "They all treated an isolated injury. "Nobody treated the abuse."

The words hang between us. Heavy. Ugly. Real.

I look away first. "I kept opening charts hoping the next one would be different."

"It wasn't." My voice comes out rougher than I intended. "It just kept going."

Neither of us speaks for several seconds. Finally Callum closes the laptop.

"I'll have Pops start pulling every favor he has with the O'Donnells."

"He won't find this."

"No." Callum's expression hardens. "He won't." His eyes stay on me another second too long. "You've been watching her."

It's not a question. I don't answer.

"You've been watching her a lot."